2.49
दूरेण ह्यवरं कर्म बुद्धियोगाद्धनञ्जय ।
बुद्धौ शरणमन्विच्छ कृपणाः फलहेतवः ॥
dūreṇa hy avaraṃ karma buddhiyogād dhanañjaya
buddhau śaraṇam anviccha kṛpaṇāḥ phalahetavaḥ
Kṛṣṇa (कृष्ण) is speaking, to Dhanañjaya (धनञ्जय).
The verse
Action is far inferior to the yoga of buddhi, Dhanañjaya (धनञ्जय); seek refuge in the buddhi. Wretched are those whose motive is the fruit.
नेपालीमा
हे धनञ्जय, कर्म बुद्धिको योगभन्दा धेरै तल छ, त्यसैले बुद्धिमा शरण लेऊ। फललाई उद्देश्य बनाउनेहरू दयनीय छन्।
Where it sits
Fruit-aimed action is set far below the buddhi that makes evenness, and he does not tell him to stop acting, since 2.47 already refused that. He tells him to take refuge in the buddhi, and he pities the man who still works for the fruit.
Split: दूरेण + हि + अवरम् + कर्म + बुद्धि-योगात् + धनञ्जय + बुद्धौ + शरणम् + अन्विच्छ + कृपणाः + फल-हेतवः
dūreṇa + hi + avaram + karma + buddhi-yogāt + dhanañjaya + buddhau + śaraṇam + anviccha + kṛpaṇāḥ + phala-hetavaḥ
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| देवनागरी | Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|---|
| दूरेण | dūreṇa | instrumental | by a long distance. |
| हि | hi | indeclinable | indeed. |
| अवरम् | avaram | nominative neuter | lower, inferior. |
| कर्म | karma | nominative neuter | action. Action aimed at a fruit. |
| बुद्धि-योगात् | buddhi-yogāt | ablative | than the yoga of buddhi. From buddhi-yoga, as the standard it falls short of. |
| धनञ्जय | dhanañjaya | vocative | Dhanañjaya (धनञ्जय). |
| बुद्धौ | buddhau | locative | in the buddhi. |
| शरणम् | śaraṇam | accusative | refuge. |
| अन्विच्छ | anviccha | imperative, 2nd singular | seek. From anu-iṣ (अनु-इष्). |
| कृपणाः | kṛpaṇāḥ | nominative plural | the wretched, the pitiable. |
| फल-हेतवः | phala-hetavaḥ | nominative plural | those whose motive is the fruit. |
The phrases
dūreṇa hi avaraṃ karma buddhiyogāt (दूरेण हि अवरं कर्म बुद्धियोगात्) is a comparison. Action is inferior by a long way to the yoga of buddhi. avaram (अवरम्) and karma (कर्म) are nominative neuter. The ablative is the thing it is lower than. हि + अवरम् hi + avaram is hy avaram (ह्यवरम्). योगात् + धनञ्जय yogāt + dhanañjaya is yogād dhanañjaya (योगाद्धनञ्जय): t (त्) before dh (ध्) becomes d (द्), and the dh (ध्) stays, so you see द्ध ddh.
बुद्धौ शरणम् अन्विच्छ buddhau śaraṇam anviccha is the order. Seek refuge in the buddhi. The locative is the place of the refuge. This is the buddhi of 2.39 and 2.48, the one that can hold evenness.
kṛpaṇāḥ phalahetavaḥ (कृपणाः फलहेतवः) is a judgment with no separate verb. The wretched are the men whose motive is the fruit. Two nominative plurals, one naming the other. It is the karmaphalahetuḥ (कर्मफलहेतुः) of 2.47, now in the plural, and called pitiable.
Sanskrit in this line
The ablative compares. avaram (अवरम्) means "lower," and buddhiyogāt (बुद्धियोगात्) means "than buddhi-yoga." English adds "than." Sanskrit puts the standard in the ablative and lets avaram (अवरम्) do the rest. dūreṇa (दूरेण), the instrumental, only says how much lower: by a long distance.
Say it back
What is lower than what, where he must seek refuge, and who the pitiable are. If buddhiyogāt (बुद्धियोगात्) comes out as "from the fruit," stay here.